Perth Voice Interactive

PERTH lord mayor Basil Zempilas has taken aim at the Cook government for failing to re-open a Safe Night Space for homeless women before winter set in.

The centre has been something of a political football between the City and the state government after councillors voted in November to stop funding a two-year trial at the Rod Evans Community Centre on Hay Street.

The council then pushed for Uniting WA to run a SNS from its Tranby hub on Aberdeen Street, but that was reliant on state government funding that didn’t eventuate.

Ruah, which had managed the SNS at Rod Evans, then put forward plans for a space in James Street which were approved by the City, but with conditions which included a contentious demand that security guards be posted outside at all times.

Challenge

Ruah lodged a challenge against the conditions in the State Administrative Tribunal, but planning minister John Carey pulled it for a ministerial decision before handing it over to health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson to avoid any perception he had a conflict of interest.

Mr Zempilas said that since then he’s heard crickets.

“I counted these numbers up today,” he said at the last council meeting.

“From the Safe Night Space closing when this council unanimously voted for it to re-open in a new location in James Street was 89 days, and within those 89 days another site was put forward which was rejected by the state,” he said. “From then until today has been 91 days.

“The Safe Night Space has now been closed longer than when it initially closed off the back of our decision [of] November 30.

“Winter has set in, the cold weather has come, the rain has come, and the Safe Night Space in James Street could have been opened three months ago.”

by STEVE GRANT